Time interval indicating calendar



Feb. 20, 1951 E. REINER TIME INTERVAL INDICATING CALENDAR 2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed April 19, 1950 @www E. REI'NER TIME INTERVAL INDICATING CALENDAR Feb. 20, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 19, 1950 ATTYS.

Patented Feb. 20, 1951 UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEEicE TIME INTERVAL INDICATING CALENDAR Emil Reiner, Gary, Ind. v Application April 19, 1950, Serial No. 156,790V

This invention relates to a new and improved time interval indicating calendar for determining Vthe days of fertility of a female having relatively women having menstrual periods longer or shorter than four weeks. This is a serious limitation to the use and reliability of the calendar for the reason that statistics taken over a period of years show that the common belief that most Women menstruate regularly every twenty-eight days is u entirely erroneous and that this cycle of menstruation is present only with a small percentage of women, the cycle for diiferent healthy women being from as low as every nineteen to twentythree days to as great as every forty-one or forty- `flve days, and even going as high as fty days and over in certain cases. L The principal objects of my invention are to remedy the aforementioned deciencies of time interval indicating calendars by providing a calv-endar which may be universally used by the average healthy woman having relatively regular menstrual periods, regardless of the length of f the cycle of menstruation.

Another object of my invention is to provide a new and improved time interval indicating cal- -endar having a greater range than former call endars and arranged to efliciently take care of a A wide variation of healthy women.

A more specific object of my invention is' to `provide a time interval indicating calendar having detachable markers spaced in definite positions on the calendar in accordance with the cycle of menstruation of the woman using the calendar and indicating both the period of fertility and ovulation of the individual woman using the calendar.

' These and other objects of my invention will appear from time to time as the following specication proceeds and with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein- Figure l is a plan view of a time interval cal-Y endar constructed in accordance with my invention showing the calendar in a neutral position;

Figure 2 is a view somewhat similar to Figure 1 but showing the opposite side of the calendar from that shown in Figure'l;

2 Claims. (01.235-38) Figure 3 is a transverse sectional view taken substantially along line III-III of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a plan view of one of the movable inner disks of the calendar, calibrated for the iirst six months of the year; and

Figure 5 is a plan View of the other movable inner disk of the calendar, calibrated for the second six months of the year.

A time interval calendar I0 is shown in the drawings as including an outer disk II herein shown as being circular and calibrated for the iirst six months of the year. The disk II has a segmental window I2 formed therein through which may be viewed a disk I3 rotatably mounted on a hollow rivet I4 concentric with the center of the disk II. The disk I3 is shown as being abutted by a disk I5, calibrated on its outer face for the second six months of the year and also pivotally mounted on the rivet i 4. The calibrated face of the disk I5 faces a window I6 formed in an outer disk II on the rivet I4 and calibrated for the second six months of the year.

The disks II, I3, 5 and I7 may be made from any suitable material, such as plastic, Celluloid, a thin metal, or a durable form of cardboard. While the disks I3 and i5 are herein shown as being separate disks, calibrated only on their outer faces, these disks need not be separate disks but may be a single disk as well, calibrated on both faces. For convenience, however, I use a single disk calibrated on one face only, but do not wish to be construed as limiting myself to a single disk.

The disk I3 has a tab I9 extending from the periphery thereof beyond the disk II to permit turning said disk relatively to the disk II by the lingers. In a like manner t-he disk I5 has a tab 20 extending from the periphery thereof for engagement by the ngers to turn said disk with Vrespect to the disk I1.

' These numerals represent the days of the month during which menstruation occurs for each month i of the first half of the year, the month of January being represented by the outer concentric circle. The second set of indications is indicated by reference character B and is shown as comprising black numerals on al white background consecutively arranged in the same concentric circles as the indications indicated by the referovulation of the female. markers 24-24 and of the segment 34 varies for g ence character A. This second set of numerals represents the days of the month next following the month in which menstruation occurs. A third set of numerals designated by reference character C is shown as being arranged consecutively along the same concentriccircles as the numerals A and B. These numerals represent an initial number of days of the third month following menstruation, the number of days being determined by the maximum probable cycle of menstruation, as calculated from the observations of Latz and Reiner published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, volume 105, October 19, 1935, page 1244.

The disk I5 has indications D, E and F on its outer face, similar to the indications A, B and C and arranged in concentric circles on the face of said disk. The indications D, E and F, like the indications on the disk l3, comprise numerals representing the days of the month during which 'menstruation occurs, the days of the next following month, and an initial number of days of the second month after menstruation, respectively, for the second six months of the year.

The outer disk II has the months of the year for the first half thereof printed thereon adjacent one edge of the window I2 in concentric circles in alignment with the concentricr circles on the the disk I3 having the days of the month therebetween. The month of January is placed in the cuterr concentric circle and the other months are,

spaced inwardly therefrom in consecutive order for convenience in reading the calendar.

In a like manner the disk Il has the months of` the year for the second half thereof printed thereon in concentric circles adjacent the advance edge of the window i'and in alignment with the concentric circles on the disk I5, having the indications D, E and F therebetween, the month of July being in the outer1 concentric circle, and the other months being spaced inwardly therefrom in consecutive order.

The segmental window I2 in the disk II is herein shown as extending along said disk for more than 180 and being divided by radial lines 2I-2I extending outwardly from the outer periphery of said window and coinciding Iwith radial lines 22-22 separating the numerals on the disk I3, when a numeral on said disk is positioned at the advance or left-hand edge of said window. The radial lines 2 1 2! divide the window I2.into forty-one equal divisions, representing the days after the beginning of menstruation, and having numerals l to 41 arranged therein in consecutive order. f

A plurality of apertures 23-23 extend through the outer disk I I between the indicating numerals thereon and are herein shown as being centered on the radial lines dividing the space within the window I2 into forty-one equal divisions. Two markers 24--24 are adapted to be inserted in certain of the apertures 23--23 in spaced relation with respect to each other and to detachably secure a transparent indicating segment 34 to the outside of the disk I I between the markers 2li-211.v The segment 34, as hereinshown, has a plurality of arrows 35-35 thereon, indicating the days of different females, depending upon the period ofv fertility or conception of the individual female using the calendar and determined by the females Yphysician after a period of observation of the menstrual cycle of the individual to use the calendar. Y

The position of the 2,542,949; ff--cf rbrass rivets having round heads.

land 10 and the other marker 24 may be'placed in the aperture between the numerals 18 and 19 to secure the segment 34 in the space between said numerals, as shown in Figure 1 of the drawings.

The markers 24-24 may be of several well known forms, but are herein shown as being split They are inserted through apertured portions of the segment 34 and in the desired apertures 23--23 and are then spread apart in a usual manner.

The outer disk I'l for the second six-month period of the'year, like the disk l l, is divided along the window I6 into forty-one equal spaces and has a plurality of apertures 25-25 extending therethrough on the radial lines dividing said window into said spaces. Said disk also has markers 26-26 adapted to be detachably placed in the respective apertures in spaced-apart relationv with respect to each other, depending upon the period of fertility of the individual female using the calendar. The markers 26-26 are also adapted to secure an indicating segment 36, like the segment 34, to the disk I'I. The segment 36 may be transparent and may have a plurality of arrows 31'-31 thereon, indicating the days of ovulation of the female during the conception period.

In determining the days of the month in which a woman is fertile by the calendar of my invention, after the brass markers 24-24 and 26-26 have been placed in the required apertures indicating the fertile period of the individual female for which the calendar is suited, preferably by the womans physician, and the segments 34 and 3S have been secured to the respective disks, the day of the month upon which menstruation occurs is selected from the white numerals on the black background and the respective disk is turned until this day appears at the advance or left-,hand edge of the window I2 in the concentric circle corresponding to the month upon which menstruation occurs. As for example, suppose menstruation begins May 31st. The numeral 31 appearing in white on the black background and within the same concentric circle as the month of May is placed under the numeral l on the window I2.'

The numbers 9 and 17 will then appear between the two radial lines marked by the markers 24-24. The arrows 35-35 of the segment 34 will show the period'of ovulation as occurring during the-12th day of June and to and through the-16th day. of'June. This means conception can take place only between June 9 and June 17 and that the most likely period is during ovulation. -Con ceptiOn, therefore, cannot take place during all of the other days to the left of the marked V interval and to the right of the same until the next menstrual period begins. In a like manner, n the event menstruation begins July 19, the number 19appearing in white on the black background within the concentric circle for the month .of July will be placed under the numeral '.l

on the periphery of the window I6. The number 28 in white on theblack background will be moved to appear on the right of the left-hand marker 26, while the number 5 in black on the white background will appear to the Aleft of the right-hand marker 26. The arrows 31-31 of the segment 36 will show the period of ovulation as occurring during the 31st day of July to and through the 4th day of August. This indicates that the period of fertility is between the 28th day of July and the 5th day of August and that the most likely period for conception to take place is during the period of ovulation. This also indicates that conception is not possible during all other days to the right and to the left of the marked intervals until 'the next menses begins.

It will be understood that modifications and variations may be eilected without departing from the spirit and scope of the novel concepts of the present invention.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a calendar for indicating the days of fertility of females, two concentric disks, one of which is pivotally movable with respect to the other, one having a segmental window therein, and the other having sets of indications thereon facing said Window, said indications comprising three sets of equally spaced numerals on said disk, one set representing the days of the month, another set representing the days of the next succeeding month, and the third set representing an initial number of days of a third month, and said one disk having indications spaced equally along said window and comprising consecutive numerals spaced equally therealong and representing the menstrual cycle, and an indieating segment mounted on said one disk along said window between certain numerals thereon, the space within said segment indicating the pe- 6 riod of fertility of the individual female and also the period of ovulation of the female, said segment on said other disk indicating the days of the month of the fertile period upon the proper setting of said rst disk with respect to said second disk.

2. In a calendar for indicating the days of fertility of females, two concentric disks, one of which is pivotally movable with respect to the other, one having a segmental window therein, and the other having sets of indications thereon facing said window, said indications comprising three sets of equally spaced numerals on said disk, one set representing the days of the month, another set representing the days of the next following month, and the third set representing an initial number of days of a third month, and said one disk having indications spaced equally along said window and comprising consecutive numerals spaced equally therealong and representing the menstrual cycle and being apertured intermediate each pair of said numerals, and two markers detachably mounted in certain of said apertured portions determined by the fertile period of the individual female and securing an indicating segment thereto indicating the period of ovulation of the female.

EMIL REINER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the ille of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,942,754 Heyssler Jan. 9, 1934 2,076,242 Marquis Apr. 6, 1937 

